FAMILY CONCERT: THE STORM WHALE

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 25 April 2026, 11.00am

Tickets
from £6.00

Home› What's on› FAMILY CONCERT: THE STORM WHALE

A brand-new storybook concert, based on the modern classic book series by Benji Davies.

The Storm Whale tells the story of a child, and a whale washed up on the beach, and friendships that will change their lives forever and echo down the generations. These heart-warming tales of friendship, love and courage are brought to life through music specially written to accompany the book by our Children’s Composer-in-Residence, Paul Rissmann.

Perfect for 3 to 7 year-olds and their families, this illustrated and narrated storybook concert is brought to Cast with Music in the Round, the producers of previous popular family concerts Izzy Gimzo, Giddy Goat and Sir Scallywag. It is a wonderful introduction to a live concert experience, brimming with wonderful music, memorable songs, images from the book and plenty of chances to join in.

“The Storm Whale tells a simple but powerful story about loneliness and the love between a parent and child… The world may be as big and lonely and incomprehensible as the ocean, but still it’s possible to find tremendous, heart-stopping tenderness.” The New York Times on the book

With many thanks to all our funders, including:

The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation, The JG Graves Charitable Trust, Sheffield Town Trust and Wise Music Foundation

“The musicians did a wonderful job of introducing the young audience to enjoyment of the theatre, live music and engaging story-telling. Proof of their success [were] the lines of excited children coming up to meet the musicians who had gathered in the foyer with their instruments.”

The Yorkshire Post (on a previous Music in the Round storybook concert)

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

Ensemble 360 has gained an enviable reputation across the UK for the quality and integrity of their performances. Formed in 2005, eleven musicians of international standing came together to take up residency in South Yorkshire with Music in the Round, establishing a versatile group comprising five string players, five wind players and a pianist. Get a glimpse of them in performance here.

The Ensemble 360 musicians share a passion for the music which radiates through each performance. Their enthusiasm, drive and musicality captivate audiences both through the quality of their playing and their engaging spoken introductions. Due to the flexible nature of the group’s line-up the repertoire possibilities are enormous; anything from baroque duos, through classical quartets to new commissions for all eleven players.

THE LARK ASCENDING

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 25 April 2026, 7.15pm

Tickets
from £13

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Home› What's on› THE LARK ASCENDING

HOLST Phantasy String Quartet (10′)
BRITTEN Three Divertimenti for String Quartet (10′)
HOLBROOKE Ellean Shona (4′)
HOWELLS Phantasy String Quartet (13′)
PURCELL Three-part Fantasias (8′)
HOWELLS Rhapsodic Quintet (12′)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (arr. Gerigk) The Lark Ascending (15’)

The violin soars melodiously above the rest of the quartet in the gorgeous arrangement of Vaughan Williams’ most popular work The Lark Ascending, which concludes this concert of English music.

Fantasies from the Baroque gems of Purcell’s Three-part Fantasias to Imogen Holst’s Phantasy String Quartet sit alongside this perennial favourite.

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About the Artists

Ensemble 360

MOZART & BEETHOVEN STRING QUARTETS

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 21 February 2026, 7.15pm

Tickets from £13

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Home› What's on› MOZART & BEETHOVEN STRING QUARTETS

BRITTEN Three Divertimenti for String Quartet (10’)
MOZART String Quartet No.20 in D ‘Hoffmeister’ (26’)
BEETHOVEN String Quartet Op.59 No.2 ‘Razumovsky’ (37’)

A passionate tour through three centuries of extraordinary music with the string quartet of Ensemble 360.

Britten’s playful and inventive Three Divertimenti is followed by Mozart’s radiant ‘Hoffmeister’ Quartet, blending grace and sophistication. The evening concludes with Beethoven’s fiery second ‘Razumovsky’ Quartet, a work of thrilling intensity and deep passion.

Performed with warmth and exhilarating energy, this programme showcases the expressive power of the string quartet.

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Britten planned these movements as part of a five-movement Quartetto serioso with a subtitle from Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale: “Go play, boy, play!” An earlier version of the opening March was written for a suite inspired by the film Emil and the Detectives (the children’s novel by Erich Kästner was a great favourite of Britten’s), but this was never completed. Eventually he settled on a work in three movements, and the first performance was given by the Stratton Quartet at the Wigmore Hall on 25 February 1936. The audience response was chilly and a hurt Britten withdrew the Three Divertimenti, which were only published after his death. His brilliant gift for idiomatic quartet writing is already apparent in this early work – from the arresting rhythms and textures of the March to the beguiling central Waltz, and the driving energy of the closing Burlesque.

1. Allegretto
2. Menuetto and Trio. Allegretto
3. Adagio
4. Allegro

Like Haydn before him, Mozart habitually published his string quartets in groups of six (the ‘Haydn’ Quartets) or three (the ‘Prussian’ Quartets). Between these two sets there is a single work, entered in Mozart’s manuscript catalogue of his own works on 19 August 1786 as ‘a quartet for 2 violins, viola and violoncello’. The autograph manuscript (in the British Library) is simply titled ‘Quartetto’. It was published in 1788 by the Viennese firm founded by Mozart’s friend Franz Anton Hoffmeister and it has come to be known as the ‘Hoffmeister’ Quartet as a result. The first movement opens with a theme in octaves that outlines a descending D major arpeggio – an idea that dominates much of the movement despite some startling harmonic excursions along the way. The development section is marked by almost continuous quaver movement that gives way magically to the opening theme at the start of the recapitulation. The Minuet has an easy-going charm that contrasts with the sterner mood (and minor key) of the Trio section. The great Mozart biographer Alfred Einstein thought the Adagio spoke ‘of past sorrow, with a heretofore unheard-of-depth’. It is not only a deeply touching movement but also an extremely ingenious one, not least when the initial idea heard on two violins returns on viola and cello, investing the same music with a darker, richer texture. The finale is fast and playful, but there’s also astonishing inventiveness in the flow of ideas, from the opening triplets with their chromatic twists to a contrasting theme which scampers up and down the scale. A few sudden and surprising dynamic contrasts keep the listener guessing right to the end.

Nigel Simeone

Allegro
Molto Adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento
Allegretto. Maggiore (Thème russe)
Finale. Presto

“Demanding but dignified” was how the Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung described Beethoven’s new quartets dedicated to Count Rasumovsky when they were first heard in 1807. Composed in 1806, and including Russian melodies from a collection of folk tunes edited by Ivan Prach (published in 1790), these quartets were a major development in the quartet form. But though they were longer and more challenging than any earlier quartets, they were an immediate success. Before the Rasumovsky Quartets were played, Beethoven offered them to publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig – in a job lot with the Fourth Piano Concerto, the Fourth Symphony and Fidelio, but the deal fell through and the quartets were first published in Vienna by the Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie and in London by Clementi.

While the first of the Rasumovsky Quartets is unusually expansive, the second is more concentrated. From the opening two-chord gesture establishing E minor as the home key, the first movement is tense and full of rhythmic ambiguity. The hymn-like slow movement has a combination of richness and apparent simplicity that blossoms into a kind of ecstatic aria: Beethoven himself is reported to have likened it to “a meditative contemplation of the stars”. The uneasy rhythms of the Scherzo are contrasted by a major-key Trio section in which Beethoven quotes a Russian tune that famously reappeared in the Coronation Scene of Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov. The finale begins with a surprise: a strong emphasis on the note C that is tantalising and unexpected in a movement that moves firmly towards E minor.

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

CLOSE-UP FAMILY CONCERT: MUSIC FOR CURIOUS YOUNG MINDS

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 21 February 2026, 11.00am

Tickets
from £6.50

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Home› What's on› CLOSE-UP FAMILY CONCERT: MUSIC FOR CURIOUS YOUNG MINDS

A lively family concert featuring four string musicians (violins, viola and cello) and a presenter. Together they breathe life into the wondrous world of chamber music.

They’ll play well-known classical favourites from Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and more.

Perfect for 7-11-year-olds, this lively, interactive concert is a great introduction to classical music, and a chance for those who’ve enjoyed our storybook concerts to delve a little deeper.

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN sitar

Jasdeep Singh Degun & Gurdain Rayatt

Cast, Doncaster

Thursday 13 November 2025, 7.15pm

Tickets from £13

Past Event

Home› What's on› JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN sitar

Jasdeep Singh Degun (sitar) and Gurdain Rayatt (tabla).

Multi-award-winning sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun has collaborated with musicians from a wide range of musical backgrounds, including Cerys Matthews, Nitin Sawhney, Mel C and as artist-in-residence with Opera North.

This concert sees Jasdeep sharing intimate duets with tabla player Gurdain Rayatt in masterful improvisations rooted in thousands of years of Indian tradition.

Jasdeep is highly regarded as an artist who is continually pushing the versatility of his instrument and reshaping the musical landscape for his peers, and for generations to come. Amid artist residencies and fellowships, an international concert schedule and royal command performances, Jasdeep’s lifelong training in gayaki ang – a lyrical approach to the sitar that mimics the human voice – has remained his anchor and his passion.

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About the Artists

Jasdeep Singh Degun

Breaking down cultural boundaries with his extraordinary artistry and new approach to composition, virtuoso sitarist, Jasdeep Singh Degun, brings a new energy and vision to both Indian classical and contemporary music. He’s redefining genres and passionate about exposing music from his heritage to audiences across the globe. Learning under the careful guidance of Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, Jasdeep has performed all over the world in many high profile productions and prestigious venues, including Buckingham Palace, the Amphitheatre in Doha, and Westminster Abbey at the Royal Commonwealth Service 2022 in the presence of the British Royal Family and Prime Minister.

Signed to the prestigious Real World Records, Jasdeep released his much anticipated debut album titled ‘Anomaly‘, working under the guidance of celebrated musician and producer Nitin Sawhney. Jasdeep was announced as Artist-in-Residence at Opera North, and in 2022 he was composer, co-music director and soloist in Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk’s acclaimed opera Orpheus. This production garnered five-star reviews and earned Jasdeep a 2022 Critics’ Circle Music Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Opera”.

Gurdain Rayatt

Gurdain Rayatt (UK) is one of the most exciting and established tabla players in Britain today. Classically trained from the age of just three by his father and grandfather, Gurdain undertook advanced training in India and has performed alongside some of the greats of the Hindustani music tradition, including Anoushka Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj and Ustad Shahid Parvez. Outside the classical field, he’s a member of Kefaya (Songlines Magazine Winners in 2017 and 2020) and has collaborated with a range of music genres both at home and abroad. Read more.

MOZART VIOLIN SONATAS

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Thursday 2 October 2025, 7.15pm

Tickets from £13

Past Event

Home› What's on› MOZART VIOLIN SONATAS

MOZART Sonata in E minor K304 (12′)
SCHUMANN F-A-E sonata, ‘II. Intermezzo’ (3′)
LUTOSLAWSKI Subito (6′)
SCHUMANN Sonata No.1 in A minor Op.105 (17′)
MOZART Sonata in G K301 (15′)
MESSIAEN Theme and variations (11′)
MOZART Sonata in A K.305 (15′)

Elegant, moving and charming, these gems of chamber music range from the playful and witty to the profound and exquisite. Paired with other works for this most intimate and expressive duo of violin with piano, this delightful programme combines familiar favourites with new discoveries.

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Allegro
Tempo di Menuetto

Mozart’s visit to Paris in 1778 – fifteen years after his dazzling first appearance in the city as a child prodigy – was not a success, and the composer was irritated by the apparent indifference of both the musical public and the aristocracy. The highlight of his stay was probably the first performance of the ‘Paris’ Symphony K297 on 18 June. Among the works he composed in Paris was the Violin Sonata in E minor (a key seldom used by Mozart). It has been suggested that the desolate mood of this work – headed “Sonata IV à Paris” in Mozart’s hand on the manuscript – may reflect the tragic illness and death (on 3 July) of Mozart’s mother, who was with him in Paris. While this may be an unduly Romantic interpretation, it is certainly one of Mozart’s bleakest works from this period, and also one of remarkable concentration – in just two movements, the second of which is a melancholy, restrained Minuet in which both players are directed to play sotto voce at several points in the score.

The F-A-E Sonata was created in 1853, as a gift for violinist Joseph Joachim. Written for violin and piano, and made up of four movements, the sonata was actually composed by 3 individuals; Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahams, and Albert Dietrich, who was a pupil of Schumann’s. The three composers had recently befriended the violinist and challenged Joachim to work out who had composed which movement. Schumann was responsible for movements 2 and 4, the 2nd movement being a short Intermezzo. The Sonata’s movements are all based on the musical notes of F, A and E, and are taken from the first letters of Joachim’s adopted motto “Frei aber einsam”, meaning “free, but lonely”. Schumann would later add two more movements to the ones written for Joachim, to make his Violin Sonata No.3 in A minor. The F-A-E Sonata wasn’t published in its entirety until 1935, 82 years after it was first written.

One of Lutosławski’s final works, Subito was commissioned in 1992 by Joseph Gingold for the 1994 Indianapolis International Violin Competition. He had learned to play the violin as a child, something that served him in good stead when composing for strings throughout his life. Lutosławski believed the piece to be a “functional” challenge that would show off a competitor’s virtuosity, with a refrain from the opening bars being used to form four episodes that come together to create a story of violinistic excellence. This commission arrived shortly after Lutosławski was diagnosed with cancer, putting on hold a violin concerto that he had been writing for acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Fragments of this concerto were only discovered posthumously, making Subito his final published work for violin before his death.

Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck [With passionate expression]
Allegretto
Lebhaft [Lively]

Schumann often composed in bursts of creative speed, and his Violin Sonata No.1 Op.105 was written in less than a week in September 1851 – starting on his wedding anniversary (12 September) and finishing five days later. Originally he described the work as a ‘Duo for piano and violin’ and it was the first of what Linda Correll Roesner has described as ‘an exceptional group of three chamber works’ written within a couple of months – along with the Piano Trio in G minor Op.110 and the Violin Sonata No.2 Op.121. In his articles, Schumann often wrote about the challenges of musical form for any composer after Beethoven. In this sonata, Schumann uses great economy of means, evident right from the start: the themes of the first movement are based on a limited range of notes, characterised by a falling semitone figure that is heavy with melancholy. The central movement is less anguished – a kind of quirky intermezzo in F major –while the finale is urgent and uncompromising. Near the close, a recollection of the sonata’s opening theme is undermined by the restless, rapid semiquavers that dominate the movement.

The sonata was first played by Joseph von Wasilewski (leader of Schumann’s orchestra in Düsseldorf) and Clara Schumann, at a private run-through on 16 October 1851. The public premiere was given a few months later in Leipzig on 21 March 1852, performed by Ferdinand David with Clara Schumann. Both Clara and Wasilewski recalled playing the piece through for Schumann. According to Clara, ‘I was so restless, I had to try Robert’s new sonata this very day. We played it, and were particularly moved by the very elegiac first movement and the lovely second movement. Only the somewhat less charming third movement caused us some difficulty.’ Wasilewski recalled that ‘on the whole Schumann was satisfied with my performance. Only my playing of the finale failed to please him. We went through it three more times, but Schumann said that he had expected the violin part to have a different effect. I was unable to convey the unyielding, brusque tone of the piece to his satisfaction.’ The finale clearly proved troublesome for both pianist and violinist. Clara’s suggestion that it is ‘less charming’ is puzzling. While the music is indeed brusque (as Wasilewski says) – Schumann resists any hint of easy allure by interrupting its more tender moments with abrupt chords – it is strong and intense, bringing this highly original piece to an impassioned conclusion.

Allegretto con spirito

Allegro
The G Major Sonata for Violin and Piano is the first of a group of six for piano and violin composed in Mannheim and Paris during the course of the tour undertaken by Mozart and his mother during 1777 and 1778. Mozart seems to have been inspired to write these works after a chance discovery. On October 6, 1777, he wrote a letter to his father about a set of sonatas by the Dresden musician Joseph Schuster (1748–1812): “I send my sister herewith six duets for harpsichord and violin by Schuster, which I have often played here. They are not bad. If I stay on I shall write six myself in the same style, as they are very popular here.” What seems to have struck Mozart about Schuster’s sonatas is the independence of the two instrumental parts – with much more prominent writing for violin than in Mozart’s earlier sonatas for this combination. These six sonatas were published in Paris in as Mozart’s “Opus 1”, dedicated to Maria Elisabeth, Electress of the Palatinate. The first movement is a variant of sonata form (without a significant development of the ideas), and the second suggests a bucolic dance, with a minor-key episode at its centre providing a contrast to the sunnier outer sections.

Nigel Simeone 2013

Thème – Modéré
Variation 1 – Modéré
Variation 2 – Un peu moins Modére
Variation 3 – Modéré, avec éclat
Variation 4 – Vif et passionné
Variation 5 – Tres modéré

Messian wrote his Theme and variations as a wedding present for his first wife, violinist Claire Delbos in 1932. The first performance of the piece was held at the Cercle Musical de Paris on 22nd November (which also happened to be Delbos’ birthday). Although this was Messiaen’s first piece of chamber music, it is as equally characteristic and emotionally accessible as his most well-known chamber piece, the Quartet for the End of Time. Structurally, Theme and variations is one of more straightforward works, with a tender and lyrical theme that is followed by increasingly animated variations. The use of a classical theme and variation form is unusual in Messiaen’s writing, but the intense slow burn created by the very slow tempo markings creates a fantastical world entirely within keeping of the rapturous individualism that he is known for.

i. Allegro di molto
ii. Andante grazioso

Sonata in A was inspired by Joseph Schuster’s piano and violin duets, which Mozart first played whilst looking for jobs in Mannheim, Germany. The sonata is made of 2 movements. The first is in sonata form, which follows the structure of introducing a musical idea or ideas, exploring it and then returning to the main themes at the end. It is one of Mozart’s most joyous melodies of all his violin sonatas. The second movement is a theme–and–variation form and completely contrasts with the tone of the first. It has a slower tempo and a much more subdued melody and is followed by six variations on the main theme. Typical of theme-and-variation pieces of the time, the penultimate variation is very stark, and in a minor mode. The set ends with an up-tempo dance and is the only piece of the lot that is in triple metre instead of duple.

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

CLOSE-UP FAMILY CONCERT: MUSIC FOR CURIOUS YOUNG MINDS

Elinor Moran & Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 8 March 2025, 11.00am

Tickets
£11
£6 Under 16s

Past Event

Home› What's on› CLOSE-UP FAMILY CONCERT: MUSIC FOR CURIOUS YOUNG MINDS

A lively family concert, featuring five wind musicians (flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and horn). Together they breathe life into the wondrous world of chamber music.

They’ll play well-known classical favourites from Britten and Debussy to Haydn and Holst, alongside more recent works such as Anna Meredith’s playful portrait of a moth and Valerie Coleman’s celebratory Kwanza dance.

Perfect for 7-11 year olds, this is a lively, interactive concert is a great introduction to music, or chance for those who’ve enjoyed our storybook concerts to delve a little deeper.

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Programme:
BRITTEN I. Prologue from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1’30)
HAYDN arr. Parry IV. Rondo-Allegretto from Divertimento No.1 (2’)
ONSLOW IV. Finale (extract) from Wind Quintet (3’30)
ARNOLD I. Allegro con brio from ‘Three Shanties’ (2’30)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS arr. Morton ‘The Vagabond’ from Songs of Travel (3’)
LIGETI III. Allegro grazioso from ‘6 Bagatelles’ (2’30)
DEBUSSY ‘Syrinx’ (3’)
BACEWICZ I. Allegro from Quintet for Wind Instruments (3’)
STRAVINSKY II. from ‘Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet’ (1’)
HOLST IV. Air and Variations from Wind Quintet (4’)
DANZI IV. Allegretto from Wind Quintet No.2 (3’)
MEREDITH ‘Moth’ from ‘Tripotage Miniatures’ (2’30)
COLEMAN Umoja (2’45)

About the Artists

Elinor Moran

Elinor is in demand as a vocal workshop leader and animateur. She regularly works in learning and participation teams with such companies as ROH, ETO, Opera North, Snape Maltings, Garsington Opera and as far away as The Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus in Toronto.

Elinor has just returned from singing with André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra as a soloist on a world tour. She was a soloist on a SONY BMG recording “The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan” which reached the top of the Classical Chart and can be heard on Blossom Street’s new Naxos recording of choral music by female composers “This Day”. Her recent roles include Mimi La Boheme (in the Olivier Award winning OperaUpClose production at the Soho Theatre and Charing Cross Theatre and Tour) and she has been the recipient of a Garsington Opera Chorus Award.

Elinor studied voice at Chetham’s School Of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2012 she performed a dance role in Danny Boyle’s Olympic Opening Ceremony but has since put away her hip hop shoes (until the right future opportunity…).

Ensemble 360

FAMILY CONCERT: GIDDY GOAT

Ensemble 360 & Caroline Hallam

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 16 November 2024, 11.00am

Tickets:
£6 children
£11 adults
*Box office charges may apply

Past Event

Home› What's on› FAMILY CONCERT: GIDDY GOAT

Based on the colourful children’s book, this family concert tells the story of Giddy, a young mountain goat who is scared of heights. A tale of facing fears and making friends, it’s a brilliant way to introduce children to classical music, with visuals from the book and plenty of chances to join in!

Perfect for 3 – 7 year olds and their families!

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

GUITAR CLASSICS

Craig Ogden

Cast, Doncaster

Thursday 22 May 2025, 7.15pm

Tickets*

£17
£13 (Under 26s)

*Box office charges may apply

Past Event

Home› What's on› GUITAR CLASSICS

Craig Ogden is one of the greatest classical guitarists of our time, whose incredible career over three decades has included a stream of best-selling albums, appearances with the world’s finest orchestras and a constant presence on Classic FM, where he’s long been a favourite artist with the station’s listeners.

Programme includes:

VILLA-LOBOS Chôros No.1 (5’)
JS BACH Prelude, Fugue and Allegro BWV998 (13’)
REINHARDT Nuages (3’)
RODRIGO Tres piezas españolas (12’)
ALBENIZ Torre Bermeja, Sevilla (5’)

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About the Artists

Craig Ogden

Described by BBC Music Magazine as “A worthy successor to Julian Bream“, Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. He studied guitar from the age of seven and percussion from the age of thirteen. In 2004, he became the youngest instrumentalist to receive a Fellowship Award from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, he has accumulated an acclaimed discography for Chandos, Virgin/EMI, Nimbus, Hyperion, Sony and six chart-topping albums for Classic FM. His most recent recordings are a solo recital disc for Chandos, Craig Ogden in Concert and a new arrangement of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach with violinist David Juritz and cellist Tim Hugh for Nimbus Records.

A CELEBRATION OF CZECH MUSIC

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 8 March 2025, 7.15pm

Tickets*

£17
£13 (Under 26s)

*Box office charges may apply

Past Event

Home› What's on› A CELEBRATION OF CZECH MUSIC

REICHA Wind Quintet in E flat Op.88 No.2
HAAS Wind Quintet
BRITTEN Wind Sextet
JANÁČEK Mládí

Janáček’s beloved Mládí (‘Youth’) was written towards the end of his life as a nostalgic celebration of memories of his youth, drawing on his early writing. Receiving its premiere performances in Autumn 1924, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this iconic piece for wind, featuring the bass clarinet alongside a regular wind quintet line-up of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.

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Furioso
Con fuoco. Con moto e poco largamente
Moderato

Pavel Haas, born in Brno into a Jewish family, was a pupil of Leoš Janáček from 1920 to 1922. Though his music doesn’t imitate that of his great teacher, both composers sought inspiration from Moravian folk song and dance. Janáček once declared that ‘a modern composer has to write what he has truly experienced’, but Haas was to experience more and much worse than most. However, in 1939, when he wrote the Suite for Oboe, he had just been awarded the Smetana Prize for his opera, The Charlatan, first performed at Brno in 1938. The musical language of the Suite, occasionally folk-inspired, sometimes recalling the cadences of Synagogue songs, and notable for its energy and drive, marks out Haas as a composer of real individuality, rugged in the first two movements, and more consoling in the third, rising to a grand climax that has occasional echoes of his great teacher.

Haas was deported to the concentration camp and ghetto at Teresienstadt in 1941 where he met the conductor Karel Ančerl as well as several other Czech Jewish composers such as Gideon Klein (who coaxed Haas back to composition), Hans Krása and Viktor Ullmann. In later years, it was Ančerl who most movingly recalled the appalling circumstances of Haas’s murder after both were transferred to Auschwitz: Ančerl was next in line to be sent to the gas chamber when Haas coughed, thus attracting the attention of the SS Doctor Josef Mengele, who chose to send Haas to his death instead.

Nigel Simeone 2014

JANÁČEK Leoš, In the Mists

Janáček inspiration for In the mists probably came from a recital at the Brno Organ School on 28 January 1912 when Marie Dvořáková played Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau. In the mists certainly shows the influence of Debussy’s Impressionism, though it is also a nostalgic reflection on childhood: Bohumír Štědroň wrote that ‘Here Janáček sees his youth in a mist and remembers the days spent at Hukvaldy’. Janáček made some revisions to the cycle before publication by the Club of the Friends of Art in Brno (to which Janáček belonged) near the end of 1913. According to the title page of this edition, In the mists was given to members of the club as a gift for the year 1913. The first performance took place on 7 December 1913 at Kroměříž, played by Marie Dvořáková. She played it again, on 24 January 1914, at a Brno Organ School concert in the Lužánky Hall when Janáček himself was present. The first known performance in Prague was not until 16 December 1922, given by the pianist Václav Štěpán and the following year Janáček asked Štěpán to help him prepare an edition incorporating his final versions. An inspired combination of Impressionism and musical ideas derived from Moravian folk music, In the mists is in four movements: the first haunting (and occasionally trouble), the second quite free, the third based on a memorable melody heard at the start, and the fourth hints at the flourishes of gypsy music as well as moments of high drama. All four movements are permeated by tenderness and nostalgia, without any hint of sentimentality.

Nigel Simeone

Pavel Haas who was born in 1899, was a Jewish composer from Czechoslovakia, who had his promising career tragically cut short when he was killed in Auschwitz in 1944. His music, once forgotten, is gradually gaining recognition, thanks to dedicated efforts by surviving colleagues and scholars. Haas was a student of Leoš Janáček, and his music reflects the influence of Moravian folk tunes and Jewish liturgical music. One of his most significant works, the Wind Quintet (1929), showcases his distinct style, blending rhythmic complexity and folk influences, much like his teacher Janáček’s Mládí.

Written on the eve of the tumult of the 1930s and infused with the bleakness and forboding of the period, it remained largely unknown for decades, with nearly all copies lost during World War II. However, Czech musicologist Lubomír Peduzzi, a former student of Haas, discovered the manuscript in the Moravian Museum in Brno. His 1991 edition of the work has helped the piece find its place alongside other important wind quintets of the interwar period, such as those by Nielsen, Schoenberg, and Hindemith.

The Wind Quintet is a four-movement work characterized by its emotional depth and modal melodies. The first movement, Preludio, begins with a folk-like tune, while the second, Pregheira (“Prayer”), conveys a heartfelt spiritual yearning. The third movement, Ballo Eccentrico, is a lively, quirky dance, and the final movement, rooted in Moravian folk music, ends with an expansive, triumphant chord. Despite its predominantly minor tonality, the work is varied in mood, alternating between seriousness and cheerfulness, much like Janáček’s compositions.

Haas’ music, though overshadowed by the atrocities of the Holocaust, is now recognized as a significant contribution to 20th-century chamber music. His Wind Quintet, in particular, stands as a powerful and original work, blending folk traditions with modern compositional techniques, and is gradually earning its place in the standard repertoire.

Janáček composed Mládí in July 1924 (the month of his 70th birthday) at his rural retreat in the village of Hukvaldy. He described it to Kamila Stösslová as ‘a sort of memoir of youth’, and a newspaper article in December 1924 described the programme of the suite as follows: ‘In the first movement, [Janáček] remembers his childhood at school in Hukvaldy, in the second the sad scenes of parting with his mother at the station in Brno, in the third in 1866 as a chorister when the Prussians were in Brno; the concluding movement is a courageous leap into life.’ Intended as a nostalgic evocation of Janáček’s youth (his original title was Mladý život – Young Life) it is a typically quirky and ebullient product of his incredibly productive old age. It was first performed in Brno on 24 October 1924, followed a month later by a performance in Prague. Janáček also heard the work during his only visit to England, at a concert in the Wigmore Hall on 6 May 1926 when it was played by British musicians including Leon Goossens and Aubrey Brain.

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

STRING TRIOS: BEETHOVEN, SCHUBERT & MORE

Ensemble 360

Cast, Doncaster

Saturday 16 November 2024, 7.15pm

Tickets*

£17
£13 (Under 26s)

*Box office charges may apply

Past Event

Home› What's on› STRING TRIOS: BEETHOVEN, SCHUBERT & MORE

SCHUBERT String Trio in B flat D471 (8′)
DOHNÁNYI Serenade for string trip in C Op.10 (21′)
WATKINS String Trio (9′)
BEETHOVEN String Trio No.3 Op.9 (24′)

Ensemble 360 performs works, including those by two of classical music’s most celebrated composers, Beethoven and Schubert, showcasing this versatile and elegant combination of instruments: violin, viola and cello.

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Schubert’s String Trio in B flat major was composed in September 1816 and only its first movement survives complete (along with a fragment of a second). His only other venture into the medium of the string trio – a complete four-movement work this time – is in the same key and dates from exactly a year later. The earlier single-movement trio was written when the composer was nineteen years old, and this sunny and assured piece sounds almost like a tribute to Schubert’s great forebears Haydn and Mozart, and probably to Salieri too, with whom Schubert was studying at the time he wrote it. However, this substantial but charming sonata form movement is not an exercise in pastiche: there are several distinctive Schubertian harmonic touches, especially in the central development section.

Marcia. Allegro
Romanza. Adagio non troppo
Scherzo. Vivace
Tema con variazioni. Andante con moto
Rondo. Finale

Dohnányi was one of three important composers to emerge from Hungary at the turn of the twentieth century. The other two – Bartók and Kodály – both developed highly individual musical voices, partly through their exploration and study of folk music. Dohnányi, a brilliant pianist as well as a gifted composer, chose a different path. He became an enthusiastic disciple of Brahms (who reciprocated by arranging the Viennese première of Dohnányi’s Piano Quintet Op.1) and subsequently evolved a characteristic late-Romantic harmonic language. The Serenade for String Trio was written in 1902. The choice of instruments was surprising: since Mozart and Beethoven the string trio had been neglected but Dohnányi writes for this ensemble most convincingly. His revival of the form may well have encouraged its rediscovery by composers such as Max Reger and Schoenberg. Dohnányi’s Serenade is in five movements, the first of which is a March. The Romance is lyrical and beautifully crafted for the three instruments, and is followed by a quicksilver Scherzo. In the Theme and Variations, Dohnányi makes sure that each of the three instruments has a fair share of the thematic material and he composes some very resourceful variations. The Finale of this inventive and attractive work is an exuberant Rondo.

Huw Watkins was born in Pontypool in South Wales in 1976 and is a pianist and composer. He studied at Chetham’s School of Music, King’s College, Cambridge and the Royal College of Music. This String Trio was commissioned in 2015 for the Nash Ensemble and first performed at Wigmore Hall in March of that year.

1. Allegro von spirito
2. Adagio con espressione
3. Scherzo. Allegro molto e vivace
4. Finale. Presto

Beethoven’s three String Trios Op. 9 were finished by March 1798. The C minor trio is the most intense and closely argued of the three. The first movement opens with a hushed idea in octaves, soon followed by a more overtly melodic contrasting theme. Both are used in the terse development section and are heard again in the recapitulation before the movement ends with a stern affirmation of the home key of C minor. For the slow movement, Beethoven turns to C major, though the main theme soon takes a few unexpected harmonic turns, rather in the manner of Beethoven’s mentor Haydn. An early example of Beethoven’s ability to create seemingly endless melody with plenty of dramatic episodes, this movement ends with hushed chords. Back in C minor, the Scherzo is fast and angular, with only a charming major-key Trio section providing a moment of calm, though this uneasy movement ends quietly. The finale is notable for music that has a plain-speaking gruffness, and the whole work is notable for the imagination with which Beethoven writes for the three instruments at his disposal.

Nigel Simeone

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“Perfect for someone like me who knows next to zero about classical music but [Chris] put people at ease, made us laugh and I loved the interaction with the musicians too who were bloody awesome!”

Audience comment

“I absolutely loved Chris Addison’s enthusiasm and knowledge. A history and music class rolled into one with beautiful performances from all the musicians… I left feeling elated and could have listened for hours!”

Audience comment

About the Artists

Chris Addison

Ensemble 360

“The musicians did a wonderful job of introducing the young audience to enjoyment of the theatre, live music and engaging story-telling. Proof of their success [were] the lines of excited children coming up to meet the musicians who had gathered in the foyer with their instruments.”

The Yorkshire Post (on a previous Music in the Round storybook concert)

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

BRITTEN Benjamin, Three Divertimenti for String Quartet

MOZART Amadeus, String Quartet in D K499

BEETHOVEN Ludwig Van, String Quartet in E minor Op.59 No.2 Razumovsky

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

About the Artists

Jasdeep Singh Degun

Gurdain Rayatt

MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus, Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor K304

SCHUMANN Robert, F-A-E Sonata, Movement 2

LUTOSŁAWSKI Witold, Subito

SCHUMANN Robert, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op.105

MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus, Sonata for Violin and Piano in G, K301

MESSIAEN Olivier, Theme and variations

MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus, Sonata in A, K305

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

About the Artists

Elinor Moran

Ensemble 360

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

VILLA-LOBOS Heitor, Chôros No.1

About the Artists

Craig Ogden

HAAS Pavel, Suite for Oboe & Piano Op.17

JANÁČEK Leoš, In the Mists

HAAS Pavel, Wind Quintet Op.10

JANÁČEK Leoš, Mládí

About the Artists

Ensemble 360

SCHUBERT Franz, String Trio in B flat D471

DOHNÁNYI Ernő, Serenade for String Trio in C Op10

WATKINS Huw, String Trio

BEETHOVEN Ludwig Van, String Trio in C minor Op.9 No.3

About the Artists

Ensemble 360